Super Mustachio
by Ad Astra Per Alia Porci
Summary: COMPLETE! NSR. Starts at Halloween and sheds some light on Nick's new look. Please R&R.
1. A Scientist?

A/N: I realize I'm a _bit_ late for a Halloween fic… but this was actually inspired by the last episode and Nick's new look. I figured I'd try to explain where it came from. I noticed Forensicsfan beat me to it, but since it's almost completely written I'll post anyway. It is several chapters. I'm only putting the first right now so I have more time to finish it off. Hope you like it. Let me know either way.

* * *

"Hey you," Nick Stokes greeted his guest with a welcoming smile, most of which was covered by large dark moustache that had taken over the space between the tip of his nose and his upper lip.

"Hey," Sara replied with a similar smile, except hers was completely visible. She tilted her head as she noticed he was sporting a different look from the last time she saw him. "You missed a spot shaving," she said as she removed her jacket.

Nick was going to reply but got distracted when he saw what she was wearing, "A scientist? Really?" Sara nodded self-consciously as she glanced down at her costume. She was wearing a large white lab coat, borrowed from work earlier that day, with odds and ends hanging out of the pockets. Among the clutter were pens, pencils, a magnifying glass, a calculator, tweezers, and an empty beaker. Basically Sara had been strapped for time and, having never gotten around to finding a costume, she improvised by visiting the lab and grabbing anything that would make her costume obvious. She had even gone to the effort of topping off the look with thick-framed glasses and her hair pulled back into a chaotic pony-tail. "Way to think outside the box, Sidle," Nick said.

He was a little disappointed in her costume choice; he had tried not to get his hopes up, realizing that he knew Sara well enough to assume it wouldn't be the case, but its just that every other girl in the world seemed to use Halloween as the perfect excuse to dress as scantily as possible. Really, only half of him was disappointed… the other half was proud she hadn't put on lingerie and a fuzzy set of animal ears pasted to a headband and tried to pass it off as a "bunny" or "kitty" or "insert-your-cutesy-animal-of-choice-here". So, with that in mind, he surveyed her costume once more. The muscles in his face slowly tugging his lips into a smile; how she had managed to make a seemingly geeky scientist sexier than a "bunny" he'll never know.

"You forgot about tonight, didn't you?" he accused, doing a fairly good job at hiding the hurt that otherwise would have been accompanied this thought. "You remembered last minute that we had made these plans and searched your closet," he said the last part with tiny smirk, hoping that the lab coat actually was hers.

"No, I remembered our plans. I was actually really excited about this," she noticed Nick's grin get impossibly wider. She realized that he could read too much into that statement – read into it _correctly_, but that's not the point – so she hurried forward to cover. "Uh, you know… I haven't handed out candy since I came to Vegas, so I'm excited to see all the kids having fun." Nick just looked at her, still smiling broadly. "'Cause I don't get any kids at my complex on Halloween," she continued, wishing he would stop look at her like that: that cocky smile rubbing her nose in the fact that she had really been looking forward to tonight for the previously assumed reason. "I mean who goes Trick-or-Treating in an apartment?" When the look still hadn't disappeared from his face Sara entered the rest of the house, socking him in the arm as she passed him a few feet in. "Shut up… and I'll have you know that I stopped by the lab today, on one of our rare days off, just so I would have a costume."

He followed her into his living room, where he noticed she immediately made herself at home by plopping down onto the couch and propping her feet up on the coffee table. Nick walked into her field of view, rubbing his bicep with a pronounced pout despite the fact that she had only punched him lightly. "There are rules for dressing up, you know; one of them being that you can't 'dress up' as what you are everyday," he spoke pointedly, collapsing a couple inches away from her on the couch.

"We're not scientists. We're forensic specialists. Jeez Nick, I figured you'd know your job description by now…" she gave her most charming grin.

"When I explain my job to my nieces and nephews, I tell them I'm a mix of a cop and a scientist. And you just said that you got your 'costume' from the lab, therefore it is _exactly_ what we wear everyday," he loved the annoying her.

She gave up, "Look, it was either this or nothing."

'_Nothing, eh? That's even better than bunny,'_ he felt a goofy grin take over his face as his mind raced with the idea she presented. After a beat he realized he hadn't retorted yet, "See now _that's_ not a look you have everyday. I vote you wear nothing." He completed the cheesy statement by waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She blushed. "Well, since I obviously voted in favour of the scientist I guess we're at a stalemate," she shrugged with a "what-can-ya-do" expression.

"Hmm…" Nick considered the problem for a minute, "Okay, the only way to resolve this is to compromise: take off your shirt."

"Nick!" Sara swatted him in the arm, not quite sure how else to respond to that.

"You're right. Then you'd lose the lab coat and that's really the bulk of the 'costume'," he air quoted costume. "I guess you'll have to lose the bottom half then," now he wore a hopeful expression. Both faces suddenly felt very warm.

"Why don't you go finish your costume and let me worry about mine?" she suggested, willing her cheeks to return to their normal colour.


	2. Super Mustachio

"_Why don't you go finish your costume and let me worry about mine?" she suggested, willing her cheeks to return to their normal colour._

"Okay, hang on." He stood up and walked a couple feet away to a loveseat and picked up a red hat that had been abandoned there. He tossed it on his head, "Ta-da."

She furrowed her eyebrows as she took in his appearance. He was wearing a bright red shirt with snug, dark, jean overalls. He had found the overalls in the back of his closet two weeks ago, he hadn't worn them in a _long_ time but when he tried them on he was able to still squeeze into them. They were actually the inspiration for his costume. The final touch was the hat on his head. It was a regular red baseball cap with a large black "M" in a white circle. She tilted her head one way and then the other. "Uh… good one?"

Nick laughed at her lack of knowledge about 80's fads, and not for the first time left in wonder that she had missed so much in her childhood. "I'm Mario," he stated matter-of-factly. She looked at him blankly. "…Super Mario…"

"Oh!" Sara exclaimed.

"There it is," he smirked as he assumed she had finally recognized the character.

"I still have no idea what you're talking about," she looked sheepish. Nick wordlessly walked over to his game system, an N-64, and picked up _Mario Kart_ and tossed it to her. She studied the graphic on the front for a minute and he claimed his spot next to her again, throwing a lazy arm over the back of the couch behind her. "Oh… so the mustache is … intentional," she said sadly.

A frown flickered across his lips and he rubbed his hands over the lower portion of his face. "That's it? You know how long I've been planning this costume: it took me forever to grow this," he pointed at the hair above his lip.

"That was God's way of discouraging you from doing it," Sara giggled.

He looked almost hurt, "You said I looked good with facial hair."

"I said you look good with stubble, which is _very_ true," she smiled coyly as her face heated up a bit more. Nick looked pleased with himself again. "The goatee that you had last time I saw you," she continued, "that was good too. It was getting a bit large -- now I understand why -- but it looked cute too."

"Cute?" Nick's face squished in annoyance.

"Sorry, it looked h… it suited your features." It was too awkward to tell him he how hot he looked just the other day. He had caught her initial line of thought though, and judging from the smug twinkle in his eyes he was going to press her on it, so she didn't give him the chance. "However, this mustache is hideous."

"Hideous… of course," he removed his arm from behind her.

"Oh don't be so sensitive. I didn't say you were hideous, I said your mustache is, and that is easily fixed… in fact point me towards your razor and I'll fix it right now." She moved the glasses so that they sat on the top of her head.

He looked at her warily from the corner of his eye. "I'll do it later. I need it tonight otherwise I won't look like Super Mario."

"That's the point."

"Not of Halloween." He paused and allowed a cocky smirk to return. "Don't worry, I'll be back to being hot tomorrow."

"Wow. How did you ever find a hat that could fit that big head of yours?" she laughed.

He held up his hands innocently, "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."

"Well then back that ego train up, mister," she toyed with his words.

"Sara," he turned towards her and replaced his arm behind her on the back of the couch. He attempted to hold a sincere smile to cover the previous smug one. "It's okay to admit that you're attracted to me." He watched her expectantly. She looked panicked for a moment but quickly recollected her cool.

"Sorry, this Super Mustachio look just doesn't do it for me," she crinkled her nose for effect.

"What about the regular Nick Stokes look?" he replied undaunted. She floundered for a couple of seconds again. This time when she opened her mouth to speak she didn't know what would come out. And neither of them would ever find out because she was interrupted by a mechanical chirp. "Saved by the bell," he said as he stood and picked up one of three candy bowls on a small table lining the entrance of his house. "But don't think you're off the hook that easily," he called back to her as Sara stood up and followed him, eager to see the little kids.


	3. The Art of Avoidance

"_Saved by the bell," he said as he stood and picked up a candy bowl on a small table lining the entrance of his house. "But don't think you're off the hook that easily," he called back to her as Sara stood up and followed him, eager to see the little kids._

She put the glasses back on the bridge of her nose just as Nick opened the doors with an admirable imitation of Mario's line "Hey, its-a me: Mario." The few parents behind the hoard looked amused with the greeting; the moms looked especially pleased with Nick despite the horrible facial hair. The kids just impatiently shouted "Trick-or-Treat." Nick nodded and shrugged off the kids' reaction. "Fair enough," he laughed as he handed out the candy to a few kids. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Sara, finding her standing there with a soft, delighted smile on her face as she scanned the faces of the children. He reached his arm back and around her shoulder, pulling her beside him in the entrance way and held the bowl in front of her.

She looked over at him with a big grin as she took over the role of candy-supplier. "Thank you," the kids all shouted once she had placed a few items in their bags. They had just finished with the first group and were about to shut the door when a new group ambled up the driveway shouting the traditional greeting. Nick continued to hold the bowl as Sara dished out the treats.

It was only when they closed the door a few minutes later that she noticed Nick still had his arm around her. He steered her back into the living room with the intent of finishing off a conversation he was very interested in. "So where were we before we were so rudely interrupted? … Ah, yes--"

"Sitting on the couch about to put in a movie," Sara supplied, flopping down onto the couch as she said it.

"No… no, I don't think that's it…" he pretended to ponder some more. He scooted right next to Sara on the couch and let a big obnoxious grin appear. "Oh right! You were about to answer my question."

"Or cleverly evade it…" Sara quipped.

He wasn't fazed. "Nah, I think you were going to answer honestly."

"Too bad there's no real way to find out for sure. Guess we'd better just agree to disagree and put on a movie," she shrugged with her suggestion.

"…or I could pose it again and assume that whatever you answer this time would have been the answer last time…" he had a determined look about him.

"That could work, except you know what they say about people who assume…"

"…that they're attractive?" he asked hopefully. Sara could help the laughter that escaped her throat; Nick grinned proudly at the reaction.

"That they're asses," she retorted with half of the proper saying.

His grin turned somewhat sheepish, "…attractive asses?"

"Doesn't actually specify," she laughed again.

"I guess I'll just have to take your opinion then," he sighed.

Sara shook here head, bemused, and got herself a few extra moments to think. Then, suddenly, she saw the opportunity to grab the upper hand, "Why?"

"…'cause you're the only one who's here…" Nick replied, confused and cute.

"No, I mean, why do you want my opinion this badly?"

"…'cause you're the only one here," he repeated slowly.

She smiled knowingly and Nick felt his stomach curl into a ball with worry. "Fifteen minutes ago your ego was alive and well, your inflated head barely squeezing into your cap, but now you're hounding me to rate you. Where'd the confidence go? Nothing happened between then and now that would have given you doubt. So I reiterate, why do you _need_ my opinion?"

Now it was Nick's turn to panic. "I, uh… well, uh, because… 'cause you won't give it to me," he answered finally. Well, sort of answered. She looked at him quizzically, clearly waiting for some elaboration. "It started as a simple question and then you wouldn't answer it… so you created the doubt, and now I need reassurance."

"Nope. If you just needed reassurance, you would have gotten it by the mothers you had swooning outside your door a minute ago," she crossed her arms and watched him expectantly. "Why do you care about what I think about you?"

He mirrored her stance, "I'm not gonna answer your question when all you've done is avoid mine."

"Well, at least we got our answer: I cleverly evaded it. So now that that's settled…" Sara tried to shift topics once more, "…what movies are we going to watch? You promised me scary ones."

"I did, didn't I?" He had all night to finish off that conversation, and truthfully he was a little unnerved now by her return question, so he took her lead and switched his attention to the movies sitting on top of his television. He had gone out a few days ago and rented some of the older horror movies from the local Blockbuster. The few he picked up combined with the newer ones in his own collection made a total of eight options. As he announced the title of each film he showcased it in a style reminiscent of Vana White, "We have _Friday the Thirteenth_, _Nightmare on Elm Street_, _IT_, _Sixth Sense_, _Saw_,_ The Exorcist_, _The Shining_, and finally _Psycho_."

"The Freddy and Jason movies aren't scary." Sara crossed off two options. Nick tossed them to the loveseat which had held his hat for him earlier; apparently it was the storage couch. "I've seen _Sixth Sense_ too many times for it to be scary. No to _The Shining_. AndI've seen _Psycho_, and hated it." Those three joined the others of the loveseat.

"I guess that means our movie marathon tonight consists of _IT, Saw,_ and _The Exorcist_. Let's watch _Saw _first. That's the creepiest movie," he shook his head in amazement as he summarized the plot in his head. He began to open the DVD case when Sara spoke up.

"No, let's watch _The Exorcist _first. I haven't seen that movie in ages," she smiled as she recalled how becoming possessed had become her number one fear after she watched it for the first time.

Ever the peace keeper, Nick spoke up with a solution: "How about we compromise?" He was about to suggest watching _IT_ first but Sara interrupted him.

"Okay, take off your shirt and put in my movie," she beamed up at him.

He laughed, "Wanna see me shirtless, eh? So then I am attractive?"

Sara shrugged, "Don't read too much into it. I just thought that's how you compromised around here… by removing an article of clothing." He found her proud smile so endearing and her response so funny that he conceded and popped in her video. He walked over to his light switch and twisted the knob so the room was dimmed to a setting which would normally be deemed romantic, but under the circumstance he could pass off as scary. Before settling in right next to Sara he grabbed one of the bowls of candy and brought it over so they would have something to munch on during the movie. He picked up the remote in front of him and turned on the movie. Once the opening credits started across the screen he sat back, placed the bowl of candy in his lap, and this time he didn't bother the back of the couch, he placed his arm around Sara's shoulder instead.

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A/N: Sorry, the next update won't be until Thursday or Friday... I have a midterm tomorrow that I had no idea about so I'll probably be up all night studying and then end up sleeping away most of Thurdsay. But as always, please review this chapter, it might be the pick me up I need after I get done with that bloody midterm. 


	4. What Costumes Should Be

_Once the opening credits started across the screen he sat back, placed the bowl of candy in his lap, and this time he didn't bother the back of the couch, he placed his arm around Sara's shoulders instead._

By the end of her movie Sara had wished that she had let Nick put another one in first. With all the stop/starts they had to use to appease the mass of children that marched up to Nick's door it had taken them a full forty minutes extra to watch the movie. She hadn't been able to get into the plot; it was hard to do when you had to pause in the middle of all the scary parts… Nick sure did have a lot of neighbouring kids.

Now they were halfway through _IT_. They had decided to save _Saw_ for last so that the trick-or-treaters wouldn't ruin the flow, and since Nick said it was the scarier of the two he thought it'd serve best at the later hour. They actually hadn't been interrupted in a while so she figured that it'd be safe to turn off the porch light and lock the door soon. Anyone out much later wasn't going to be within the age bracket the holiday was created for.

"I hate clowns," Sara said as Pennywise flooded the screen again. She shuttered involuntarily.

Nick looked over at her amused, "You're afraid of clowns?"

"Did I say afraid? No. I hate them. There's a difference," she warned, making it quite clear she was no coward. "They're… just so… creepy. I haven't been able to look at them the same since that case Catherine and I did a while back. Was the guy's name Doodles?"

Nick shrugged. "Wasn't his only crime sleeping with that woman?"

Sara attempted to remember all the details, "I guess, but he was still an all-around sketchy character. He opened up a whole knew perspective on the world of clowns. If nothing else, he scarred me for life."

"You could have vetoed this movie too…" Nick said.

"Nah, it Halloween, the reason we're watching these movies is to be scared or creeped out," Sara reasoned glancing back at the screen. As the red-haired, white-faced demon once more swooped into the shot Sara flinched.

"Don't worry Sar, I'll protect you from the scary clown," he smiled, pulling her closer to his body so there was no space left between them.

"My hero," she laughed. And after a pause she added, "But he's not _scary_. He's creepy." Nick was pleasantly surprised and very relieved when she didn't protest his move to pull her closer. In fact she seemed to welcome it and dropped her head to his shoulder. At this point Sara had lost her glasses and most of the items from her pockets were on the "storage loveseat." She kept her lab coat on, mostly just for the extra warmth it provided when she opened the door to the children and the chilly night. The only difference in Nick's appearance was that he had flipped his hat backwards because the bill had been annoying him. A small tuft of hair stuck out adorably from the gap in the hat above the adjustment strap. The simple switch would have made him look younger if it wasn't for his thick mustache.

She adjusted her head position a couple of times, turning her body this way and that to fix the awkward angle, but couldn't get it to sit right. She lifted her head and looked down at his shoulder, clearly annoyed with it. She found the source of her discomfort: the strap of his overalls was twisted. It's true that she could have just untwisted it, but she couldn't be bothered. Instead she reached down to his chest and unhooked the strap and tugged it off his shoulder. Nick watched her with an amused smile. "What's the compromise about this time?"

"Your mustache." Sara answered easily. "I want it gone now; you want it gone later; so off come the pants." She settled her head back against his shoulder, finally finding the perfect spot.

"Makes sense," he laughed. "I'd call your bluff, but that means I'd have to stand up and it's not worth it right now." Nick caught her eye and held her gaze for half a minute before she bit her lip, offered a nervous smile and looked away. Two pairs of eyes returned to the Stephen King thriller, but each mind was somewhere else.

They were nearing the end, right around the part when the adult versions of the character were in the sewers facing off against the giant spider, when the doorbell rang for the last time. With a groan, Nick paused the movie and waited for Sara to shift off of him so he could stand up. "You gonna come see this last batch?" he turned to her. She nodded and he extended his hands to help her up. He didn't release it, even when she was on her feet. The swinging strap of his unhooked overalls collided with his butt and the back of his legs as he moved but he didn't bother to fix it; he did, however, put his cap back on the proper way. The pair lazily strolled to the door, grabbing the candy bowl along the way, and smiled at the teenagers on the other side.

The teenagers were definitely outside the age bracket, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, but what they lacked in innocence they made up for with creativity. The pack consisted of two girls and four boys, and the only predictable costume was the girl who dressed up like Cat Woman – only a slight variation from a "kitty" by wearing a tight leather bustier instead of regular lingerie (probably for that extra bit of warmth) and carried a little whip. She had given a saucy "me-oww," when Nick had opened the door to them, which hadn't impressed Sara too much. In response to the lewd call Nick dropped Sara's hand and wrapped his arm firmly around her waist, bringing a bashful smile to Sara's face and a frown to Cat Woman's.

The other girl at the door was teamed up with one of the boys as a plug and socket set; the girl being the socket. Finally, out of the remaining guys, there was a fully decked out Jack Sparrow, the Swedish Chef from the Muppets, and Frank the bunny from Donnie Darko. Nick and Sara were so impressed that they gladly handed over a large scoop of candy to each kid. "Thanks very much," Jack said to Sara with a wink as the bunch turned to leave. This was followed by the Swedish Chef's trademark babble as they walked down the path to the driveway and out of sight.

Nick shut the door behind them with a deep chuckle. "That's what Halloween costumes should look like," he stated with a grin, to which Sara nodded her agreement. As he locked the door, Sara pulled out of his grip and moved over to the light-switch and turned off the outside light so people knew they were done handing out the candy. She then headed towards the kitchen, promising to bring Nick back a beer from the fridge along with one of her own. Nick carried the last bowl of treats, which was almost gone due to the amount they had rewarded the teenagers with, over to the couch and mixed it in with the one they had been snacking on. That gave them a little more than half a bowl, which neither one had much interest in anymore. Nick slunk back onto the couch. He took off his hat and tossed it Frisbee-style to the loveseat, leaving his hair in a twisted mess stuck to his head. He slumped down, propping his feet on the table in front of him and tilting his head back, waiting patiently for Sara's return to cue up the movie.

As she strolled in she switched her load so that she carried two beers in one hand and affectionately tussled Nick's hair so it was sticking up all over the place. He gave her a warm smile and accepted the beer she offered with a small "Thank you," not really having the energy or the heart to think up something wittier. Once Sara had settled herself back on the couch, leaning casually against Nick with her legs tucked beneath her and the candy bowl balancing between both their bodies, he resumed the film.

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A/N: Thanks to everyone for the kind wishes of luck for my midterm; I'm not sure that they saved me, but they were very much appreciated. Hope you like this chapter. As always, let me know, even if you hate it. 


	5. Ittle Bitty Nicky

_Once Sara had settled herself back on the couch, leaning casually against Nick with her legs tucked beneath her and the candy bowl balancing between both their bodies, he resumed the film._

"God, I hope we never have to process a scene like this," she winced and forced her eyes off of the screen. Normally, people in their profession, or related jobs, have a rough time finding movies to frighten them. After all, being faced with real life horror stories for at least eight hours a day, five days a week, leaves very little for writers to think up that can overtake Nick and Sara's strengthened nerves; especially since these two tend to spend as close to twenty-four/seven as they're allowed in that lab, up to their elbows in true crime, blood and gore. However, occasionally there comes along a very abnormal mind or advanced plot that still manages to scare the bejesus out of them. Most of the time these movies come in the form of sci-fi or supernatural stories, simply because it's the only subject that they're not overexposed to. However, this time it's just the sheer twisted plot of the serial killer in _Saw_ that has Sara hiding her eyes behind a pillow.

"I don't think we would have let him get this far though," Nick reassured her, smiling to himself at how uncharacteristically vulnerable she seemed. "We'd have got him at that fat guy in the cage. No way someone could set up all that razor wire without leaving a partial print, snagging his clothing for trace, or slicing a finger on some edge…" He scoffed superiorly.

"Yea, I dunno what's wrong with these fictional investigators…" Sara spoke sarcastically, looking up at him with a broad smirk. "Lazy is what they are!" She was about to add more when she caught sight of the screen again and gasped as Adam found that creepy puppet in his apartment. She laid the side of her head on Nick's chest so that her ear was right over his heart and pulled the pillow up against the other side of her head so that it would block out the sounds from the movie and her peripheral view of it. She listened contently to the soothing sound of Nick's heartbeat, which she noted was irregularly fast -- presumably from fright. Sara flinched as she heard the puppet's maniacal laughter taper off and the human metronome that is Nick's heart was interrupted by his chuckle at her reaction: "It's just a doll, Sara!"

She moved the pillow so that she could smack him in the face with it. Nick caught it after it made contact and they wrestled for control for a minute, until Sara was distracted by the creaking of a door from the television set. "Nick, give it!" Suddenly she switched sides; now instead of struggling to force the pillow at his smug face, she was trying to rip it out of his grasp to smother her own in it again. Nick just smiled wider and laughed again. He had seen this movie so many times that he knew every part by heart and he knew that she was not going to be a fan of the next part!

Sara glanced nervously over at the movie, unable to help herself. As soon as she did a bright flash went off and something jumped out of the darkness. Sara wasn't entirely sure what was going on at that point but she knew she didn't like it. She yelped and jumped despite the desire to appear brave in front of her friend. In the process she smacked half of her forehead off of Nick's jaw. That certainly stopped his laughter. "Sonnuva," he growled through clenched teeth, rubbing the underside of his jaw while eyeing Sara accusingly. He neither sounded nor looked angry, simply in pain.

"Shit; Nick, I'm sorry!" they both dropped the fight for the pillow and Sara shifted her position so that she was crouched on the couch cushion on the balls of her feet. One of her knees rested on his thigh while the other leaned lightly against his side. She reached her hands up to cup his face; one gently prodded the tender area at the edge of his jaw where they had collided and the other hand, with a mind of its own, zoomed over to stoke the cheek on the other side of his face. "Stop squirming."

"It hurts," he protested. "I always knew you were thick headed, Sar, but damn!" He winced as she touched a spot a tad too roughly, "Ahh! Easy Sidle, I was kidding!"

She withdrew her hand immediately. "That was an accident," she defended. "…though you did deserve it…" She spoke the second part a lot softer, but their proximity ensured that Nick caught it anyway. He looked indignant and Sara just shook her head and smiled, "Don't look at me like that; karma hurt you that time."

"But _you_ hurt me the first time," he reminded quickly with puppy-dog eyes.

She laughed at him. "Are you fishing for sympathy?" He nodded, trying his best to look pathetic and smother the smile on his mouth by jutting the bottom lip out in a sad pout. "Probably should have been nicer to me then, huh?" she started to turn away from him, a satisfied smirk passing her lips as Nick dropped all pretences of actually being hurt. As she was about to shift from her feet on the cushion to her bottom, Nick deftly reached over and pulled her off balance so she fell halfway into his lap.

"Sara, Sara, Sara," he clucked softly as he shook his head. He wrapped an arm around her to keep her put.

"What, what, what?" she mocked back with a slightly bashful grin.

"Where's the TLC? You were supposed to turn all warm and fuzzy and fuss over me…" She quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. "Ya know… like maternal instincts?"

"Oh," Sara exclaimed and shifted back so that she could watch his entire reaction. She cleared her throat and started her coddling: "Aww, did 'ittle bitty Nicky hurt himself?" A large embarrassed grin spread over Nick's face as he rolled his eyes. "Did baby get a boo-boo?"

"Yes he did," he interrupted laughing. He pointed to the part of his jaw that had started swelling somewhat, "Right there; where big bad Sara punched me."

"I didn't pun--"

"Fine, head-butted me," he corrected before she finished her protest. He shrugged, "Different word, same sound. The bottom line is that you nearly broke my jaw."

She scoffed, "Easy there Mr. Hyperbole -- nearly broke your jaw! Hardly! I _maybe_ bruised it. However, as of right now, there appears to be no damage at all… except to your image, which will henceforth be as a whiny child."

"I'm not being _whiny_," he deepened his voice to make sure no whine crept in. "I'm being… protective. Yeah, that's right. I have to be careful with this face; I won't be able to get the ladies if you beat me up all the time."

"Good," she replied without thinking.

Nick tilted his head in an adorably inquisitive manner, brows raise and smug smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "So you did this on purpose… to stop me from getting dates?" he teased.

"No. I, uh, what I meant was that, ahhh, that it's good because… well you know, your ego is big enough already and, ummm, getting more girls will only inflate your head more and I don't think the world could stand an even cockier Nick Stokes…" she scrambled to dig herself out of her hole.

"Mmmm-hmmm," he nodded, clearly amused. "You want me."

"Shut up or I'll hit you again," she muttered, turning away from him to look at the movie again but not getting off of his lap.

"Head-butt," he corrected with a smirk as he too returned to the film.

The silence between them lasted for about two minutes, during which time Sara realized she had completely lost track of the plot. She winced as yet another gruesome scene popped up; she reached beside her and grabbed the abandoned pillow to hug to her chest. "It's really your own fault you know," she said as she noticed that Nick's free hand had come up to lightly rub his injured jaw again.

He laughed and looked down at her, dropping his hand away from his face. "And how do you figure that?"

"You took away my pillow."

"You took away your own pillow! You hit me with it, remember?"

She carefully ignored that part, "You grabbed and wouldn't give it back. Thus, it's your fault I smacked into you because it's your fault I had to watch the scene. And, you know, I hit my head too. You didn't even ask about whether I was hurt!" She skilfully shifted the blame.

He felt guilty and proud at her smooth turn-about. Before she had the chance to protest he had swept his hand up over the edge of her hair line, discovering a small bump and frowning. "Oh, I'm sorry. You do have a bit of a bruise here… does it hurt?" She loved the concern clearly heard in his voice.

She giggled through her response. "No. _I'm_ not made of glass. _I_ can take a hit without whining about it."

"What exactly are you implying, Sidle?"

"Nothing at all, 'ittle bitty Nicky," she cooed the last part.

"In my defence, your head really could be a battering ram," he huffed.

She continued in her baby-voice, "Want me to kiss it better?"

Nick knew that she had meant it as another jab, but he decided not to pass up the opportunity. A certain scene from the _Indiana Jones_ trilogy, some of his favourite movies, flashed through his mind and he hoped she hadn't seen them. "Yes. I think that that's the least you could do," he replied with a big grin and tilted his face slightly towards the ceiling so that she would have better access to his injury.

A bit of a panicked look crossed her face as he lifted his face, indicating that he was really expecting her to do it. _'Well, what was the harm in a friendly kiss? It was kind of like a kiss on the cheek… it wouldn't mean anything, right?'_ her thoughts betrayed her. With some hesitation, she rose up off his lap for a second to place a chaste kiss on his jaw, being careful not to apply too much pressure lest she hurt him. She felt the blood swim instantly to her cheeks and try to avoid his eyes as he lowered his chin again. "Did it work?" she asked looking beyond his shoulder at one of the empty bowls abandoned on a table.

"Feels much better," his grin even wider than before, pleased and amused by her embarrassment.

"Good," she attempted to switch her attention back to the movie just so she could calm down again but Nick had other plans.

"Hang on. If I recall, you hit me more than once today…" Sara started to protest but Nick didn't let her. "I believe there's a reason my arm's sore, oh right! You punched it when you came in." Sara rolled her eyes and leaned across his lap to his other arm and kissed the fabric over his bicep. This time she hadn't hesitated because it seemed like a much simpler task after kissing so close to his mouth.

"There, now you can't complain anymore, because I've healed you," she rolled her eyes.

He chuckled deeply, "Now who's the egotistical one?"

"You were the one who said it was working," she shrugged.

"And you're still not off the hook. I remember another brutal attack involving a pillow…" he was excited at how well tonight's events developed his plan.

She sighed resignedly, knowing that since she could hardly back out now after humouring him already. "All right. Where did I hit you, your nose?" She shifted her position she that she was higher, her feet on the couch just beside his thigh and her knees bent beneath her in his lap. She placed her hands on her own thighs for balance. He nodded slightly, locking eyes with her just before she swooped forward to give some attention to the tip of his nose.

"And my forehead," his voice wavered a little but Sara didn't comment on it. She reached out and held on to either side of his face to bend his head slightly downward as she pressed her lips against his forehead.

She didn't release his faces as she pulled back and met his stare again. "Anywhere else?" she asked, a little ashamed at the hope in her tone.

"I got a corner in my eye," he pointed with his index finger at the "injured" eye. This time his smile had fallen short of a grin. It was just a faint upturn at the corner of his mouth now, giving him a more serious look as he noticed the increased tension in the air. His eyes fluttered shut as she closed the distance between them once again. She lingered there a moment longer than she had the others, feeling more confident when his eyes were closed. When her lips left his eyelids, he immediately opened his eyes and locked with her gaze again. His face now completely serious and his stomach felt like it was housing a million frantic, headless chickens. He wordlessly pointed to his lips. He watched as a million different emotions raced through Sara's eyes, ranging from mild panic to a thinly veiled desire to confusion. He held his breath as he could see the cogs spinning through her mind, trying to decide whether or not to cross that carefully defined line between "friendship" and something more.

* * *

A/N: An extra long chapter for the extra long delay between updates. There may be one or two more chapters on the way, yet to be written, but it should take me as long as it took me for this one… let me know if ya like it. 


	6. Excuses? Who Needs 'Em?

_He wordlessly pointed to his lips. He watched as a million different emotions raced through Sara's eyes, ranging from mild panic to a thinly veiled desire to confusion. He held his breath as he could see the cogs spinning through her mind, trying to decide whether or not to cross that carefully defined line between "friendship" and something more._

Unsure and desperate for time, Sara cleared her throat and asked, "H-how did, uh, I hurt your lips?" She needed to hear him say that this meant something; that he wasn't just being a smart ass; that he actually _wanted_ to kiss her and felt everything normally implied by that. She searched his eyes, her hands still gripping the sides of his face.

"You, uh, you didn't," Nick admitted feeling very dumb and looking very red. His insecurities quickly dominated his mind and he convinced himself he had made up the desire and passionate emotions he had observed in her eyes and body language mere seconds ago. _'You were just seeing what you wanted to see,'_ he mentally chastised himself. As best he could given the distracted state of his mind and emotions, Nick attempted to do some damage control by stumbling through an explanation for his last "injury". He cleared his throat nervously, "However you, uh, well you hurt my feelings." Sara looked at him cautiously, trying to remember anything unusually mean she had said to him tonight. Nick just nodded as if it would add weight to his argument. Then his insecurities vanished just as quickly as his they had appeared as Sara seemed to consider his explanation. He reasoned that maybe she's just as nervous as he was and felt that she needed an excuse. He was more than willing to provide her with one.

She eyed his lips as she questioned further, "Shouldn't I kiss your heart then?"

He allowed a small smile as he noticed her focus, "Well, uh, normally I'd agree with you there…" He paused and licked his lips, delighting as he noticed her mimic the move. "However, in this specific case you insulted my mustache. Therefore I think it's only fair that you kiss it better."

"Oh," she was more than willing to accept that logic. She nodded absently as she began to drift closer. "So just the mustache?" she just wanted to clarify.

"Unless you manage to hurt me again in the process," he replied while placing his hands on her hips. His eyes darted back and forth between Sara's lips and her eyes, which seemed to be locked on her target. She refused to look anywhere but Nick's mustache, afraid that if she met his stare she would lose her nerve; after all, it is _really_ close to his mouth.

Slowly the distance between them lessened until they were mere centimetres apart. Nick's eyes drifted shut so he could better savour moment; even if she was only aimed at the mustache, it'd be next to impossible to miss his top lip. As he waited for the contact he began to take mental notes: Sara's lips were parted slightly and her short, quick breaths easily drifted past and landed on Nick's lips. He could smell the beer and sweets they had consumed tonight and he realized that her mouth must still taste like them. Nick had decided that she'd kill him if she moved any slower when she paused and hovered at the same distance for a few seconds.

Sara had lost sight of his mouth because of their proximity and glanced up to Nick's eyes without thinking. The first thing she noticed was just how very close they were. Given the time, she could count every eyelash that was fanned out so perfectly across the top of his cheek. The second thing she noticed was that both sets of lashes, the upper lid's and the lower lid's, were mixed together; his eyes were closed. It was this second observation that made her temporary halt her descent. She knew she was probably reading too much into the simple gesture, most people automatically close their eyes when someone kisses them, but this wasn't supposed to be a real kiss… She racked her brain, searching for anything from scientific facts to cheesy explanations from romance movies about why people seem to mechanically shut their eyes during moments like this. She was trying to recall exactly what that con artist had said on the subject in _Heartbreakers_ when Nick let her know she had taken far too long.

Knowing that they were close enough that he couldn't possibly miss, Nick's jerked forward without opening his eyes and closed the remaining space between them. A surprised but pleased moan escaped Sara and her eyes closed mechanically as she forgot all about science and Jennifer Love Hewitt quotes. The only thought that remained in her head was just how perfectly Nick's lips seemed to mould with her own. Before she could develop that line of thinking that any further Nick pulled away.

With her eyes still firmly shut, Sara let her hands slide down the sides of Nick's face and trail along his neck before resting them on his firm chest. She remained frozen in that position while attempting to regain control over her breathing and her emotions. It was the feel of Nick's fingertips lightly caressing her cheek that finally got her eyes to flutter open. She met his intense gaze immediately. Both pair of eyes subtly shifted back and forth as each party attempted to decipher the other. It wasn't long before a massive grin divided Nick's face in half; a similar division of Sara's face followed shortly after. "What were you trying to fix there?" she teased him. She bit a corner of her bottom lip to try and restrain her smile but it just couldn't be tamed.

"Six years of stupidity," he responded without missing a beat.

"Good answer," she nodded and kissed him again. This time they carried on a lot longer, allowing Nick to finally taste the beer and sweets that stained her mouth as they deepened the kiss.

Things escalated quickly as Sara switched her position so that she was straddling his lap. Nick pushed her lab coat off her shoulders and onto the floor and removed the shirt underneath in one fluid motion. Sara had taken the time to undo the other strap of his overalls and began to blindly fumble with the tiny buttons on his shirt. They were making up for lost time.

Nick was creating an impressive hickey on Sara's shoulder when a tortured scream brought them back down to earth. He glanced up from his workspace and saw the film still faithfully playing on the television screen. "The movie," Nick croaked as Sara, whose back was towards the TV, began to turn to try and determine the source of the interruption. She let out a breathy noise of understanding and decided she didn't care enough to see for herself.

Nick wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her in place as he leaned across to get the remote to stop the movie. As the screen returned to the blank, blue output screen, Nick leaned back to focus on Sara again. She was flushed and breathing heavily but he mainly focused on the fact that she was still smiling at him. She reached up and ran a thumb across his mustache, "You know, this isn't as annoying as I though it'd be."

He puckered his lips to kiss the pad of her thumb, "That's possibly the nicest thing you've said to me all night." He smiled playfully at her.

"I know. And that wasn't even about you; it was about your mustache." She smirked and gave him a saucy wink. He laughed instead of responding and pulled her body up against his again, crashing their lips together in the process. As Sara's breath began to get ragged again she decided to speak up now before she lost all coherent thoughts. "Let's go… to your room," she managed to sputter out around his lips.

He pulled back a minute, panting, "You sure?"

"Positive," she replied instantly, nodding her head as well to emphasize her decision. He grinned at her and attacked her mouth again. Nick scooted forward to the edge of the couch and guided Sara's long legs around his waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she understood his intentions. As soon as he felt her lock herself around his torso, Nick placed one arm firmly around her lower back and supported her ass with the other. Slowly, to make sure she was ready for it and that he kept his balance, he stood up. They only stopped once on their way down the hall so that Nick could take off his overalls, which had gradually pooled around his knees since Sara had unhooked them on the couch. Never once during their relocation to his bedroom did Nick allow Sara's lips to stray from his.

* * *

A/N: So last night's episode, where the mustache was gone, made me decide to delay studying another hour or so to finish another chapter… Then when I tried to post it, fanfiction wouldn't let me so... in between that time and now I actually managed to finish it off. So the next chapter (the final one) will go up tomorrow. Thanks for reading. I hope you like it, let me know either way.  
Also, if you're in the mood for a NSR Christmas story, I made one last year called "Christmas Customs". It's a sizable read but I'm proud of it. 


	7. Getting Lucky

_Never once during their relocation to his bedroom did Nick allow Sara's lips to stray from his._

A proud, lazy grin spread across Nick's face as Sara let out a delicate yawn from her position beside him. They were still intimately tangled together: legs intertwined, eyes droopy, and lips forming peppered kisses over exposed skin at random intervals. Nick had one arm wrapped around her back, pinning her to his body, while the other hand attempted to tuck both of them warmly beneath the covers. He pulled the sheets up to her chin so that only their heads and the portion of his chest that she was laying on were exposed as their bodies slowly returned to their normal temperatures.

Sara was snuggled up to his side with her head resting almost directly over his heart. Beneath the covers so that he couldn't cheat and look, the hand that wasn't pinned beneath him was writing Nick secret messages on his stomach. Some were short and silly, like "Boo", and others were longer and harder to decipher, such as "Happy Halloween." Still they weren't all holiday themed messages; some said things like "Wow," and "6 years 2 long," and he laughed out loud when he finally figured out that she had been writing "U R a God." His personal favourite though was the last thing she did, when she simply drew a heart. After that she spread her hand out across his abs and just rested it there. He quickly moved his free hand over to hers and laced their fingers together, kissing the top of her head at the same time. "I think I've found a new favourite holiday," he whispered after a few more silent minutes. He felt her smile and kiss his chest. "And," he continued, "I think that you should come over every year to help me hand out candy."

"You do, do you?" she murmured sleepily while squeezing his hand.

"Mhm," he replied easily. "'Cept next year I think I should get to pick out your costume..." he moved the hand that had been on her back so that it lifted the blanket about a foot and a half off of their bodies. "Yup," he half growled as his gaze washed over the length of her bare body, "I definitely pick the best costumes. You should have taken my advice and changed into this one as soon as you got here." Sara giggled a bit and Nick replaced his hand on her hip, letting the blankets hide their bodies from view again.

"Fine but I get to pick yours," she threatened. "Right now I'm thinkin' a Chippendale dancer…" He let out a deep chuckle.

"As you wish, but if that's the case I'm definitely not answering the door."

"If I get my wish then I have no interest in answering the door either," she spoke around another yawn. "I don't believe in giving floor shows to the youth of America."

"So… just to clarify… you can still see us in this position, or a very similar one, a year from now?" he asked a little nervously.

She looked up at him like a deer caught in the headlights. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm being too presumptuous! I--I didn't mean to pressure you, uh… I just meant that…" she became a bundle of nerves as the prospect of this being a one-time occurrence popped into her head. Or maybe it'd happen again but it wouldn't mean anything more than casual sex to him. "I just thought that, uh, your comment about doing this, err I mean handing out candy, every year--" He cut off her rambles with a few chaste kisses.

"You thought right," he confirmed once she had stopped stuttering. "Sara, I want to be with you for as long as you'll let me. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page here…"

"We are," she smiled sheepishly, still flustered a bit.

"So we're dating?" He just wanted to make sure. A ridiculous grin spread across his face as she nodded and then verified verbally and sealed it with another chaste kiss. "Excellent," he replied. He couldn't remember any time he had felt this happy. He was almost inspired enough to go another round with Sara, but he realized that three sessions was probably his limit for the night. He'd make up for it in the morning...

They lapsed into silence for another few minutes, both merely enjoying the comfort of lying in each other's arms. It was Nick who finally broke the peace. "So now will you admit that you're attracted to me?" he asked with a goofy smirk.

She gave a tired laugh. "Nick Stokes, you are the sexiest man I have ever laid my eyes on…" she murmured. His smile was so large that it showed off all of his teeth. "…when you don't have that ridiculous mustache on your face," she added, laughing once more. Now only half of his teeth were showing.

"You're not going to make me get rid of it are you?" he mock pouted.

"I won't _make_ you do anything. Besides, as I said, it's not as annoying as I thought it would be…"

"But you're more attracted to me when I don't have it," he stated this so Sara didn't feel it needed her confirmation. "I kinda wanted to keep it around for a few days. It seems to be bringing me some luck." She scoffed at his reasoning. "Laugh at me all you want. All I know is that two weeks ago I went to bed after a fresh shave and woke up alone. Two days later I slept with a face full of stubble and woke up with the same results as before. Yesterday I went to bed with a goatee and I woke up in that same big empty bed that I've woken up in for the last few years..." he paused and gave her a gentle squeeze. "But today I create this lovely mustache instead and tomorrow I get to wake up beside _you_." The way he emphasized the last word made her want to cry, he sounded as if it was the best thing that could ever happen to him. Despite their actions and admissions tonight, his logic still managed to paint her cheeks a faint pink colour and bring an embarrassed but pleased smile to her face. She didn't trust her voice so she lifted her head instead to show him how happy he made her. She immediately noticed the same pink tinge and dopey smile on his face and leaned forwards and kissed him softly and deeply. Both dropped the other's hand so that their own could drift to their partner's face.

As soon as they parted Sara spoke up, "I kind of wanna keep it around for a few days now too." He beamed over at her. "Only for a couple of days though, okay? I'd much rather date Nick Stokes than Super Mustachio…"

"Good. Cartoon fetishes are just creepy," he smiled, dropping one last kiss before she settled down on his chest again. They settled once more into a quiet lull, content to just listen to the other breathe. It was a few short minutes later that Nick recognized Sara's deep, even breathing as a sign that she had fallen asleep. Half of him wanted to stay awake and just watch her sleep because he doubted any dream could trump his life right now. However it was his other half that won; the half that was eager to fall asleep just so that he could wake up as the luckiest man in the world.

The End!


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